The 1971 Memphis State Tigers football team represented Memphis State University (now known as the

University of Memphis } The University of Memphis (UofM) is a public university, public research university in Memphis, Tennessee. Founded in 1912, the university has an enrollment of more than 22,000 students. The university maintains the Herff College of Engineering ...

) as a member of the

Missouri Valley Conference The Missouri Valley Conference (also called MVC or simply "The Valley") is the third-oldest collegiate athletic conference in the United States. The conference's members are primarily located in the midwest. History The MVC was established ...

(MVC) during the 1971 NCAA University Division football season. In its 13th and final season under head coach

Billy J. Murphy Billy Jack "Spook" Murphy (January 13, 1921 – February 21, 2008) was an American college football player, coach, and athletics administrator. He served as the head football coach at Memphis State University—now known as the University of Mem ...

, the team compiled an overall record of 5–6 record with a mark of 4–1 in conference play, winning he MVC title. Memphis State defeated

San Jose State San José State University (San Jose State or SJSU) is a public university in San Jose, California. Established in 1857, SJSU is the oldest public university on the West Coast and the founding campus of the California State University (CSU) sy ...

in the

Pasadena Bowl The Pasadena Bowl, known as the Junior Rose Bowl from 1946 to 1966 and again in 1976 and 1977, was a college football bowl game. Between 1946 and 1966 and again in 1976 and 1977, the game pitted the California Junior College football champions aga ...

, and outscored all opponents by a total of 255 to 202. The team played its home games at

Memphis Memorial Stadium Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium (originally named Memphis Memorial Stadium, and later Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium) is a football stadium located at the former Mid-South Fairgrounds in the Midtown area of Memphis, Tennessee, United States. The st ...

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the seat of Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 U.S. census, Memphis is the second-mos ...

. The team's statistical leaders included John Robison with 496 passing yards, Paul Gowen with 644 rushing yards and Paul Gowen with 42 points scored, and Stan Davis with 509 receiving yards.

Schedule

Notes

References

{{Missouri Valley Conference football champions

Memphis State } The University of Memphis (UofM) is a public research university in Memphis, Tennessee. Founded in 1912, the university has an enrollment of more than 22,000 students. The university maintains the Herff College of Engineering, the Center for Ea ...

Memphis Tigers football seasons Missouri Valley Conference football champion seasons

Memphis State Tigers football The Memphis Tigers football team represents the University of Memphis in college football in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision. The Tigers play in the American Athletic Conference as an all-sports member. They play home games at ...